As a host and judge on Top Chef, Padma Lakshmi has been required to taste a lot of strange dishes. "I'm not really a fan of offal," she tells Closer. "The duck testicles in the DC season was one I really fretted over!" Fortunately, the majority of the other dishes she's had to eat on the Bravo food competition series are downright delicious- - or at least a lot easier to get down. Since becoming a television star on Top Chefin in 2006, the former fashion model has been able to indulge her own epicurean interests. Padma, 51, has published two cookbooks, and a memoir, and is the creator and host of the Hulu series Taste the Nation, which puts the spotlight on the food and traditions of immigrant communities all over the United States.
The divorced mom of daughter Krishna, 12, Padma recently entered a partnership with DAH!, an Indian-inspired natural foods company. "I'm excited to share this with the American public because it may be something new for them," she says. "And it's just plain delicious!"
How did your upbringing prepare you for a career in food television?
Food was such a big part of my life ever since I was small. Some of my fondest memories are of cooking with the women in my family, especially my grandmother. She taught me a lot about building flavors, but also how important it is to experience food with all of your senses. That's helped me a lot in my career.
You immigrated to the United States from India at age 4. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I had always wanted to be an actor and a writer. I studied theater and American literature in college, and I've done some acting jobs here and there like 30 Rock, Star Trek, and some historical dramas, but my career in food has taken all my attention over the last 15 years! I've been really lucky.
Denne historien er fra May 30, 2022-utgaven av Closer US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 30, 2022-utgaven av Closer US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
My Family COMES FIRST
THE TODAY ANCHOR WILL LEAVE THE SHOW NEXT YEAR TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH HER DAUGHTERS
JULIE BOWEN - 5 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ME
THE EMMY-WINNING ACTRESS OPENS UP ABOUT HER EARLY YEARS, MODERN FAMILY & MORE
BONNIE BARTLETT & WILLIAM DANIELS - OUR LOVE Keeps Getting Stronger
THE ACCLAIMED ACTORS REFLECT ON THE THINGS THAT MAKE THEIR 73-YEAR UNION WORK
I've Never Been HAPPIER
The Partridge Family alum talks about his life today and the long road he has traveled.
I'm a SURVIVOR
A TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD DIDN'T STOP THE GILLIGAN'S ISLAND STAR FROM LIVING HER DREAMS
Cary Grant - HAUNTED By His Past
THE HANDSOME AND CHARMING ACTOR SPENT DECADES RUNNING FROM HIS CHILDHOOD PAIN
FAREWELL TO A LEGEND
\"I feel so lucky to have lived the life that I did and to be surrounded by the people I love.\"
Freshly Reinvented OLD-SCHOOL BITES
Discover a new and creative twist on traditional Hungarian recipes that you'll instantly add to your rotation
INA GARTEN - HOW THERAPY SAVED MY MARRIAGE
\"It was the hardest thing I ever did. I told him that I needed to be on my own.\"
FRANK SINATRA & DEAN MARTIN - The Night That Almost Ended in TRAGEDY
A MAN NEARLY DIED WHEN A CELEBRATORY EVENING AMONG THE RAT PACK WENT HORRIBLY WRONG